Did you know that the European Union has banned more than 1 000 ingredients from use in cosmetics?
The FDA (in the USA) does not require companies to test cosmetic products for safety and do not approve products or ingredients before they go on the market. So mostly cosmetic companies may use any ingredient or raw material in their products without government review or approval. The US cosmetic industry polices itself through its Cosmetics Ingredient Review panel – which in >30 years has only declared 11 ingredients or chemical groups to be unsafe. These restrictions are, however, not binding on cosmetic companies.
The FDA has only prohibited a limited number of ingredients such as:
* Bithionol
* Chlorofluorocarbon propellants
* Chloroform
* Halogenated salicylanilides
* Methylene chloride
* Vinyl chloride
* Zirconium-containing complexes
* Prohibited cattle materials
By buying from reputable companies that falls under the jurisdiction of the European Union, you can have peace of mind that the ingredients have been strictly tested and approved not to be harmful. Furthermore, the EU disallows and inspects any form of testing on animals.
So where are you buying your cosmetics from?
References: FDA2005,2010 FDA2005 FDA2000a CIR2012 FDA2012 (www.ewg.org)
